There are so many pans in the market for cooking, so it is somewhat tricky to buy the best one that is worth the money. Among them, the frying pan and French skillet are similar in some cases, but there are also some differences. Therefore, today our topic will be ‘French skillet vs. fry pan’ to give you a thorough comparison and contrast between these two kitchen vessels, so you will be able to get a good understanding of them and choose the better one that suits you.
Before we compare them, it is better to view the two pans separately.
What is a French Skillet?
First, the French skillet was popular in the US because of the influence of French chefs. It is usually made of stainless steel. The pan is thick and heavy. And it comes with a straight handle. The sides of the pan are two to three inches deep. Therefore, the pan can hold a lot of food and liquid. What’s more, it can offer good heat distribution when cooking since it has a flat bottom. And the material of the French skillet helps to increase its heat conductivity. French skillets are available in various sizes, from 8 to 12 inches.
You can use a French Skillet for various purposes such as frying, boiling, braising, etc. It is specially used for browning large quantities of food. And also it is good for shallow frying and poaching liquids, for example, making pan sauces.
It is necessary to clean the French skillet properly in order to save its good quality for a long time. Then what you should not do is clean it in the dishwasher. If you clean it using the dishwasher, the pot’s finish can be eroded. Therefore, it is better to clean it by hand. You can keep the pan in hot water for a while if the food particles have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then, clean it properly using gentle dish soap and a brush or sponge. It will be annoying to clean the pan if you do not keep it in hot water after deep frying. So remember that little secret!
What is a Frying Pan?
Indeed, there might not be a kitchen without a frying pan because it is a very common kitchen item worldwide.
Stainless frying pans were marketed in the 1950s for the first time. It was designed for cooking using a small amount of oil. Later, some manufacturers developed low-quality frying pans using metal instead of steel. Modern frying pans are made of various materials such as aluminum or anodized aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, copper etc. The first three materials are the most popular among manufacturers from this list. Thus, frying pans are durable and long-lasting. Nowadays, you can buy stainless steel fry pans with a non-stick coating that is very effective.
Now let’s talk about the appearance of frying pan a bit. It is a broad, shallow pan. And the sides of the frying pan are sloping, or a bit rounded, at most one or two inches. And this pan has a slightly bent handle instead of a straight handle. Usually, frying pans do not come with a lid. If your pan has a lid, it may be another type of pan, not a frying pan. And since it has a flat bottom, it can distribute the heat evenly. And they come in various sizes from 6 to 16 inches.
Frying pans are also used for cooking various food. Mostly, people use it for shallow-fry or stir-fried food such as eggs, vegetables, caramelized food, etc. Roasting, toasting, and sautéing are the most popular ways to use a frying pan. Accordingly, you can fry the food without a large amount of oil.
French Skillet Vs Fry Pan
Let’s discuss the similarities and differences between a French skillet and a frying pan, so you can decide what to buy.
Similarities Between French Skillet and Fry Pan
The first noticeable similarity between these two pans is the flat bottoms. It is beneficial to distribute heat evenly in both pans when you cook. Secondly, both of them have one handle that is long enough to maneuver, and sometimes both pans come with a short grab handle. Another similarity is they do not come with a lid. When it comes to materials, stainless steel and cast iron are common materials for both pans. And the purpose of both pans is similar because we use them for frying food. But the capacity of the food can be varied.
Differences Between French Skillet and Fry Pan
This is the crucial part of the article that helps you decide what to buy. As we mentioned earlier, the sides of these pans are different. While frying pans have sloping sides 1 or 2 inches high, French skillets have higher sides 2 or 3 inches deep. Therefore, French skillets can hold more food than frying pans. However, frying pans work better if you want to flip or toss food. The sides are the main point that they become different.
The next difference is the sizes. Frying pans come in a variety of sizes from 6 to 16 inches. On the other hand, French skillets do not provide a wider range of sizes; the sizes come from 8 to 12 inches. We cannot consider this a huge drawback of French skillets if we think of their purpose because this pan is designed to cook a large amount of food.
Another difference is the non-stick coating. Most of the time, frying pans come with a non-stick coating which prevents food from sticking to the pan. In contrast, a French skillet does not have a non-stick coating.
So, these are the similarities and differences between a French skillet and a frying pan. Both of them have specialties that are supportive of cooking. Therefore, we cannot underestimate one, saying the other is better. We hope you clarified all your doubts regarding how these pans differ from one another. Now you can decide what is suitable for you according to your priorities.
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